Spell Points
Every spellcaster has a reserve of spell points based on class and level (Table: Spell Points Per Day). Characters also gain bonus spell points from a high ability score (just as a normal spellcaster would gain bonus spells from a high ability score; Table: Bonus Spell Points). These spell points provide the magical power behind the caster’s spells: He spends a number of spell points appropriate to the spell’s level to cast the spell (Table: Spell Point Cost). Once spent, spell points are expended until the caster has sufficient time to rest. Bonus Spell Points Any spellcaster who would normally receive bonus spells for a high ability score receives bonus spell points instead. In effect, the character can simply cast more of her spells each day. Preparing Spells With this variant, spellcasters do not need to prepare spells since she's no longer tied to using a specific number of spell slots. She can much more easily adapt to situations and in effect spell points make a spell caster work more like the sorcerer. In addition, the spell caster is no longer restricted to spell levels in term of learning new spells. Spell level is only used to determin the effect of the spells (like Magic Missile or Fireball). That means a 3rd level spell caster can cast Fireball as long as she has the spell points to do so, but the effect will not be that of a 5th level spell caster. More on the effects further down. What type of spells the spell caster knows, comes at the Game Masters discretion. Casting Spells Each spell costs a certain number of spell points to cast (Table: Spell Point Cost). The higher the level of the spell, the more points it costs. 0-level spells cost no spell points to cast, and continue to function as described in the appropriate class' Orisons or Cantrips class feature. Spellcasters use their full normal caster level for determining the effects of their spells in this system. So if a 3rd level spellcaster has learned Fireball, it will deal 3d6 points of damage. A character can pay additional spell points to increase the dice of damage dealt by a spell. Every 1 extra spell point spent at the time of casting increases the spell's effective caster level by 1 for purposes of dealing damage. A character can't increase a damage-dealing spell's caster level above her own caster level, or above the normal maximum allowed by the spell. For every two extra dice of damage, the spell's save DC (if any) increases by 1. Vitalizing In this system a spellcaster can exceed his normal pool of spell points, but at great personal risk. Doing so successfully requires a concentration check (DC 13 + spell level). If he fails, he must pass a fortidute save (DC 15 + spell level) or pass out 1d6+1 rounds and take xd6 points of non-lethal damage where x = spell level. In addition he becomes mentally fatigued (-2 to INT and WIS). A spellcaster who has exceeded his normal spell points pool can still try to cast spells, but at an even greater personal risk. This requires a successfull concentration check (DC 16 + spell level). If he fails, he must pass a fortidute save (DC 17 + spell level) or pass out 2d6 rounds and take both physical and non-lethal damage (d6xSpell Level) . In addition he becomes mentally exhausted (-4 to INT and WIS). Recovering Spell Points A spellcaster who has exceeded his normal spell points pool remains fatigued or exhausted until he can recover. 8 hours of uninterupted sleep will remove all conditions and restore spell pool. For every 1 hour of meditation, a spellcaster can remove one mental condition (from exhausted to fatigued, and fatigued to no condition). When the spell caster is no longer fatigued the Spell Point Pool is 0. If a fatigued spell caster casts an Orisons or Cantrip, he immediately becomes exhausted and must make new checks and suffer the consequences mentioned above.